Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1887-02-12

| not I'LL then did the mother establish her
| eldest daughter, with big turkey-tail fan,
| beside the patient, and took her brother
aside for an explanation. The little that
he knew was soon told. Her declaration
that she had no friends. troubled them.
| What should they do with her?
| As soon as some blacksmithing could be
| completed in the village they would be
ready to resume their march toward the
sunset. Later they told her. She appeared
to have recovered her usual strength and
| composure, and her pale face glowed with
a new thought.
Take me with youl" she said. The
letter which she had lost, in the struggle
with Fay, contained these words: "Or-
dered to the West, to join Harrison s
| army" Vague as it was, it was a clue.
These people were going West. She would
be nearer him, and away from those who
| had plotted against her peace, and whose
! mad jealousy had threatened her life
They looked at each other in surprise
Take me-" she pleaded, a. l will not be
any trouble. can help you" she added
to Rachel.
They loved her already, and after short
consultation it was decided as she wished
it to be.
The next morning the two heavy wagons,
with their miscellaneous freight, rumbled
down the East hill before the village was
awake, and away for the Allegheny. The
| roads were good, and they reached the
point OF embarkation without incident or
delay. Here the hardest tolls of the Jour
ney were ended. Its loneliness and mo-
notony were also past. They joined the
great multitudes pressing forward to the
broad meadows of the Ohio, Wabash and
lesser streams.
Says historian of the times: THE chill
dren of Israel could scarcely have presented
more motley array, with their kneading
troughs upon their backs, and their little
ones, than were there assembled on their
way to the new land of promise"
The party was soon slowed away upon
one of those huge hatboats which the
chronlcler describes as an ark built of
stout p,anks, with the lower seams calked
forming a perfectly fiat basis on the water
sixty feet long and thirty feet wide, with
gunwale six inches. Upon this was raised
structure of posts and boards eight feet
high, divided into apartments fer sleeping
and cooking, leaving a few feet clear at
either end for rowing and steering-the
whole covered by a fiat roof, used as
promenade, and propelled by huge sweeps
and oars" The rest from land travel, the
beautiful scenery, the rapid motion of the
most of them quaint and strange-had
an inspiriting effect upon the lonely Amber
Desmonde
To the young ell things seem possible
The swift waters were bearing her towards
her love; her ready step. quick eye and
willing hands had made her most accepta-
BILE to Rachel. Her bruised spirit revived
in the atmosphere of confidence and kind
ness. When the Ohio was reached, there
was light in her eyes and bloom upon her
cheek. O, those DAYS of beauty those
starlit, balmy nights With the children
huddled about her, ana Nate Lacey listen
ing, open-mouthed, her sweet voice tioated
out on La Belle Riviere" in gay French
songs and plaintive English ballads Gin
cinnati was reached all too soon by the
happy voyagers. Here the wagons were
resumed. The line of march was now
northward through western Ohio, to the
valley of the Maumee, whose rich meadows
were the final destination of this emigrant
family. The teams, rested by the water
transport, were pushed forward. The
nights were growing sharply cool, and no
time must be lost.
The presence Of Hulls army kept the
savages at bay, and the first snowfall found
the family, with log cabins built ready
for the winter, and with more prospect of
substantial comfort than we, at this day,
would think possible under frontier con-
ditions.
In the valley and the castle of the
Onondagas such an event as the disappear
ance OF the ward of the chief could not be
passed over Several days went by before
it was discovered. Fay was surprised and
captured by searching party, for She had
feared to come home. She denied all
knowledge of Amber but when confronted
with Catherine Farmer. relapSed into i'm
movable and sullen silence. Ondayuka
conducted the inquiry with grave decorum,
mingled with the cunning of his race.
The first point gained was that the deed
was unknown to the. whites; and he re-
solved to deal with the offender according
to Indian law, without recourse to the laws
of the white men,
Search was instituted, and pushed with
thoroughness that no white tribunal could
have commanded. But the earth might as
well have opened and swallowed up the
victim, for any trace that could be found.
The belief that Fay had murdered her
friend now gained strong ground and the
wretched captive was guarded and set
apart to await her doom. Ondayuka was
grieved, yet stern. 1t was evident that
more than Roman justice would be melted
out, even though the sword cut deep into
the heart of the aged chief His people
respected his sorrow. But it was the
young Seneca who entered into it most
deeply. Bound to Ondayuka by tics of
gratitude and friendship, generous i'm
pulse stirred him. He would save the
good old man from the painful ordeal be-
fore him. Believing that he bad the key
to the mystery, be offered to undertake the
defense of Thistledown. The old chief
hi hff4 +lot
he entertained little hope Of happy re-
suit.
Lone Pine" as he had styled himself
since his separation from his tribe went
directly from the chiefs house to the lodge
where the prisoner was confined. AT a
sign from him the two squaws who were
in attendance went out. He was greatly
shocked at the change made in the bright
girl by a few days of mental suffering.
She was seated on the floor, her head sunk
upon her bosom. Her dark, abundant hair,
unbound, fell over her face concealing it.
Her attitude was the embodiment of desc
lation. He approached and spoke TO her,
but she shuddeTed and drew herself away
At length he compelled her TO look up and
listen to him. He said that he had chosen
to be her advocate with her tribe, and would
save her if she would let him. She no
longer turned away her dimmed eyes, but
listened to all that he said. Looking at
him from the depths into which her mad
passion had plunged her, he seemed like
some being from higher world who had
stopped to take pity on her.
She fell at his feet and confessed every
thing, not even concealing the jealousy
which prompted her attack upon Amber.
She said that when she stole back, after
she had recovered from her alarm, Amber
was gone; that she spent the day in the
search, but dared not return TO endure the
suspicious of the tribe. Lone Pine knew
she spoke the truth, but there must be
proof. She also told him the story of the
letter she had brought to Amber, and the
evident distress it had caused her.
Early next morning Lone Pine took the
prisoner in wagon. with her two attend
ants, and drove to the spot where the en-
counter took place. They left the old
women in charge of the horses and as
soon as they were alone Fay began talking
eagerly and pointed out the place of the
encounter. Suddenly she darted away,
with cry of joy, returning with paper
in her hands. Pain, sun and dews had
washed all traces of writing from its sur
face, yet to the Senaca it was q strong con-
firmation of her story, and he did not
doubt that it was the letter she had brought
to Amber. Even Indian eyes could detect
no footprints, and there were to be seen
only some bushes broken and torn at the